Anti-terrorism studies praised at St. Mary's

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told his audience Wednesday that members of America's military know that Texas “has their backs.”

Marcus Luttrell, a Navy Cross recipient and former U.S. Navy Seal, is the author of books on his war experiences.

Over the past decade, the Center for Terrorism Law at

St. Mary's University has played an important role of signaling to members of the armed forces that Texas “has their back,” Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday after addressing an enthusiastic crowd in San Antonio.

“The legal side of warfare sometimes gets to be very gray,” he said during a gala at La Fogata Mexican restaurant to celebrate the center's 10th anniversary. “To have this resource available is a very comforting thing.”

The research center, part of the university's law school, was billed as the first of its kind when founded in 2003 by former Army Special Forces adviser-turned-law-professor Jeffrey Addicott.

The goal, then and now, was to delve without fear of controversy into thorny legal issues involving a “brand new area of the law” that emerged after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The center also advises state and national entities, with a strong emphasis on cyber terrorism, and offers an elective course for law students.

Addicott has become a regular figure on cable news programs, in front of Congress and at hundreds of speeches. His stances have ranged from support for secret military tribunals to challenging the legality of torturing detainees, even if approved by the president.

“Most law schools wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole,” he told the Associated Press in 2003 of the center's mission. “They don't really have the background in national security law to deal with these kinds of issues.”

That hasn't really changed over the past decade, he said, pointing out that the center still remains unique. And although the wars are winding down, the need for its services remains strong, he said.

“You'd think we would have figured out when to use drones, when not to use them,” Addicott said this week, adding that the U.S. still has not “come to grips” with how to consistently apply the law to terrorists. “It's a lack of clarity and definition.”

Also speaking at the celebration Wednesday was former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, the author of two bestsellers who campaigned for Perry during his presidential run.

In “Lone Survivor,” Luttrell recounted a 2005 battle with Taliban fighters in which three members of his SEAL Team 10 were killed, as well as 16 SEALS rushing to his aid on a Chinook helicopter that crashed. A movie adaptation of the book starring Mark Wahlberg is set to be released in November.

Luttrell, who received the Navy Cross, acknowledged that he was a last-minute replacement for invited speaker Chris Kyle — a renowned sniper and fellow SEAL who was slain at a shooting range last month. The event at times took on a somber tone as Perry and Kyle used the stage to eulogize Kyle.

“He truly reflected everything that was great about our country,” Perry said. “Chris Kyle had all of those attributes of Sam Houston ... the greatest governor Texas ever had or will have. He was a man's man.”